Fish Tacos with Lime Cilantro Crema

Ahh, fish tacos.  This is a new food choice for me, and I really love them!  I have made this recipe a couple of times, and both times I was so happy with how they turned out.  The fish is delicious, but the lime crema adds so much to them!  The only thing I wish I had been able to add was some cabbage to the taco.  We didn't have any, so lettuce had to do.  

Fish Tacos
adapted from: Cooking Light

1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 tilapia fillets

Lime Cilantro Crema
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. grated lime rind
1 1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. minced garlic

In a small dish, combine the cumin, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and garlic powder.  Sprinkle the spices evenly over both sides of the fish.  Bake the fish at 425 degrees for 9 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily.  I think that the second time I made this, I actually fried the fish in a small amount of oil on the stove.  I say, try it either way!  While the fish is cooking, combine all the ingredients for the crema in a small bowl.  Chill it in the fridge until you are ready for it.  When the fish is cooked, break it into small pieces and then serve it on a soft taco shell (we used corn tortillas) with the lime cilantro crema and cabbage.

Lemon Pepper Parmesan Tilapia

Last night I made this tilapia for dinner.  I found ingredients that I had on hand, and whipped it up in about 6.5 minutes, baked it for 15 minutes, and had dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.  Not bad!  And it tasted great!  My husband was very impressed when he walked in the house from raking leaves to see this gourmet meal on the table in such a short time.

Lemon Pepper Parmesan Tilapia
by: Carolyn

3 Tilapia fillets
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
fresh ground salt and pepper (just a grind or two)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.  With your fingers (or a spoon if you are opposed to finger mixing), on a plate, mix together the Parmesan, lemon pepper, parsley and salt and pepper.  Dip both sides of each tilapia fillet in the Parmesan mixture until it is well coated.  Place the fish in the pan and bake it for 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Crispy Pan-Fried Tilapia

The other day I was looking for a new way to cook fish, and for some reason fish and chips sounded really good.  I found this recipe in my good ol' Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book and we were not disappointed.  The crust was crispy, the inside was tender.  I made some lemon mayonnaise to dip it in, but it wasn't even worth putting the recipe on here.  For some variety, the book suggests putting a little curry powder or chili powder and paprika in the breadcrumbs.  My family thought it was delicious this simple way.  And I served it with some homemade fries.  Close enough to fish and chips to satisfy me!

Pan-Fried Fish
from: Better Homes and Gardens

1 pound fish fillets (I used tilapia)
1 beaten egg
2/3 c. cornmeal or fine dry bread crumbs (I used Italian bread crumbs)
1/2 tsp. salt
dash pepper
cooking oil for frying

Rinse and pat dry the fish fillets.  Cut them in half.  In a shallow dish, combine the egg and 2 tablespoons water.  In another dish, mix the bread crumbs, salt and pepper.  Dip the fish into the egg mixture, then coat the fish with the bread crumb mixture.  In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch cooking oil.  Add the fish to the pan and cook it on one side until it is golden.  Turn it carefully and fry the second side until it is golden and the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Honey Ginger Glazed Tilapia

I found this recipe the other day on Our Best Bites.  We loved it and I have already passed it on to Nicole, who also gave it a thumbs up.  On the Our Best Bites website they paired it with a creamy dipping sauce, which I made and then put it in the fridge and completely forgot about.  However, the fish was not lacking without the dipping sauce.  Did I already say we loved this fish?  Because we did.  We loved it so much that I named it before I ate it.  Just kidding.  That would be weird.  Like when my dad tried to get us to eat our pet chickens when I was little.  That was weird, too.

Honey Ginger Glazed Tilapia

adapted from: www.ourbestbites.com

3 Tbsp. honey

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. ginger

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. oil

4 4 oz. tilapia fillets

In a shallow dish, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and oil.  Marinate the fish in the mixture for at least 20 minutes.  

When the fish is done marinating, cook it in a frying pan, sprayed with cooking spray, for 4-6 minutes per side, or until it flakes easily with a fork.

Coconut Crusted Tilapia with Apricot Dipping Sauce (and a Honey Mustard Sauce, just for fun!)

Have I mentioned that one of my New Year's Resolutions is to eat healthier?  I didn't get too specific because I didn't want to be disappointed if I failed, but basically I want to eat more fruits and veggies and less sweets.  I'm going for more heart healthy meals because my sweet hubby has cholesterol issues and is dieting (kind of).  Because I am the buyer and preparer of food, it is at least partly up to me to help him be successful.  I haven't been really excited about this, so I'm trying to change my attitude.  Even though it sounds so boring and tasteless to eat healthy, I'm trying to think of it as an exciting food challenge!  Tonight, I made a heart healthy fish dish, and you may too, if you wish :)  It was REALLY good.  Not at all boring and tasteless.  I made two different dipping sauces and they each gave the tilapia an entirely different taste.  So, I'm including them both in this recipe. (Our favorite was the apricot, FYI)

Coconut Crusted Tilapia
adapted from: allrecipes.com

1 c. shredded coconut, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. creole seasoning (I didn't have this, so I made my own from this recipe)
4 (4 oz.) tilapia fillets
1/2 c. cornstarch
1 egg
1/2 c. canola oil

Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray.  In a shallow dish, combine coconut, flour and creole seasoning and stir it well.  In another bowl, whisk together the egg and oil.  Put the cornstarch in another bowl, dip the tilapia in to coat it, and shake off the excess.  Then dip each fish piece in the egg mixture, then the coconut mixture until they are evenly coated.  Use tongs for this!  It is so much cleaner on your hands.  Place the prepared fish fillets in the baking dish and bake it at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork when tested.  I covered mine with tinfoil for half of the cooking time, and flipped the fish one time, halfway through, and it came out juicy on the inside and a little crispy on the outside.  Perfect!

Apricot Dipping Sauce
also adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 c. apricot jam (or nectarine)
2 tsp. brown mustard (or dijon)
1 tsp. prepared horseradish (or omit this)

Stir it all together in a small bowl.  I thought I had apricot jam downstairs, and it ended up being nectarine.  I also used dijon mustard and no horseradish.  And it was delicious with the tilapia.  I put the recipe in the way it was stated on allrecipes because I'm guessing it would taste even better if you followed what they had.  Unless, of course, you hate horseradish and don't have brown mustard, or apricot jam.  Then follow my recipe.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
from allrecipes.com

1/2 c. mayonaise
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Stir all the ingredients together until they are well mixed.  Maren like this so much she was eating it plain.  I know that sounds terrible, but she loves mustard.  Go figure!